A New York City suburb has become the latest flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports.

Massapequa is among several Long Island districts that could lose state funding if they keep Native American mascots.

For Native American students, exposure to Native American mascots reduces self-esteem, their ability to imagine future accomplishments, and belief that Native American communities can make a difference, according to Laurel Davis-Delano, a professor of sociology at Springfield College who has studied the effect of such imagery on students .